Volleyball Granny
Inactive
This is really a blog...my words, from notes of recent sermons, and my thoughts--how those sermons struck me (at my particular level of Christian maturity).
Living in the End Times—and What That Means to Christians Today
My background is Fundamentalist Christian. For all my life, I have believed we should live as the Bible instructs—both Old Testament and New—as much as we are able. I gave thanks that I lived in the United States; I believed that we were blessed by God because we were part of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. (Don’t believe in the British Israelism stuff, do your own research on the migration of people.) I have prayed for our rulers, been proud of our freedoms, and often said that we had the best form of government on the planet—and that it would remain the best government until Christ returned and set up his Kingdom on Earth.
Well, flip me over and call me a pancake, because times have changed! Prophecy does not mention a “King of the West.” This omission in the Bible has led people to believe that the United States (west of Israel) will not be a power when End Time events unfold. Guess what…by the time this current administration finishes its first term, we will not be a power. Should we feel hatred toward this administration? No, they are merely fulfilling prophecy—prophecy for which most Christians pray often. How many times have you heard the words, “Thy Kingdom come”? How many times have you said them yourself?
When I think about the rights we Americans have come to take for granted, I mourn at their passing. It can color my world—and it’s not a pretty color! The only thing that can bring me back to the center is the realization that this world is not the Kingdom of God, and the best reminder of that sentiment is attending church. The messages of the last two weekends were pretty timely: 1) The Five Temples of God, 2) Focus on the Kingdom, 3) What is Your Deepest Fear?, and 4) Drifting Toward Carnality.
Let me share just a little. The Five Temples of God were/are:
1. Solomon’s Temple, 960 BC
2. Zerubabel’s Temple, 535 BC
3. The Christian Church
4. Physical Millennial Temple (after Christ returns)
5. New Jerusalem Temple (after the new heaven and the new earth are made)
Why is that important in today’s world? We are smack in the middle (or at the end) of the 3rd temple. This short life we lead is not as important as we think it is…we are but a part of the history of Man.
Focus on the Kingdom asked some questions about going through trials. (How can our current political/economic climate be called anything but a trial?)
1. Looking back, how did seeking the Kingdom of God prepare you for this trial?
2. What are lessons to share with others?
3. How do you share the lessons?
4. When you’re alone with your thoughts, what are the tough questions you ask God?
5. What lessons have you learned that you could not have learned without the trial?
6. How did other people help you?
7. How has the trial affected your relationship with God? With others?
8. How has it affected your joy?
Can we answer those questions with today’s climate in mind? Yes, we can—and, we should.
What is Your Deepest Fear? The man who gave this sermon read a quote from Marianne Williamson: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves: Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
He went on to say that we have the power to:
• NOT be a victim. Take a proactive stance in your life.
• Resolve our conflicts with each other.
• Change the lives of others (through our example).
• Have a positive outlook in our lives.
Drifting Toward Carnality dealt with our attitude about today’s world. (Yes, I know that it is where we live right now, but it should not be our complete focus.) The man who gave this sermon, about 70 yrs old, was very passionate about what he was saying. He began by explaining that, as a youth, he’d been taught to love his country—but that the country he loved no longer existed. There were tears in his eyes as he shouted, “This is NOT my country!” I think there were tears in mine, too. This is NOT the country we were taught to love. It has changed, and moved away from God—it has embraced the evil of Satan. Justice stands afar off (Isaiah 59:2), and equity cannot enter.
The United States, a Christian nation?
• 9% of self-proclaimed Christians in the U.S. say they have a Biblical view.
• 3% of Christian parents think it’s critical for their children to be saved.
• 45% of Christian parents teach their children that there are no moral absolutes.
It doesn't sound very Christian, does it? We are at war with Satan, the Prince of the Power of the Air, the King of this world. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. (II Cor. 10:3) The weapon we are to use is PRAYER. We need to not get swept along with the crowd—this is NOT the Kingdom of God! We must escape this world—not lose our Salvation. (Heb. 2:1)
Five Signs That We Are Drifting Toward Carnality
1. Neglect of spiritual things—there is only one path to Salvation, and neglect is passive disobedience. Do you take your Salvation for granted?
2. Increase in spiritual insensitivity. (Heb. 3:12-13) Do not grow hard-hearted. Have you been duped by sin? The light of Christ should shine through your life and illuminate all the impurities—you can’t change what you can’t see.
3. A willful refusal to grow. (Heb. 5:11) Are we dull of hearing? We should be teachers by now—not students! We must choose to move toward spiritual maturity.
4. Withdrawing from the fellowship of other believers—we need each other. God wants us to gather together—to both give AND receive. (At times like these, encouragement and support are paramount.)
5. We reject the truth…the final step in drifting back into carnality. (Heb. 10:26) There remains no more sacrifice for sin…if we insist on drifting back to into carnality, we will be throwing away our salvation. Don’t get sucked into this world—it’s a trap! Don’t leave your values at home, behavior matters more than intentions.
Funnily enough, much of the conversation after church today was on preparing for the upcoming economic upheaval—getting any medical procedures taken care of before the change to Socialized medicine, putting in gardens, stocking up on underwear (and toilet paper), for how many years would we need to prepare…I know that this is common conversation among some groups, but not necessarily ours. One of the women brought up the fact that one of our previous leaders had encouraged us to prepare for famine. I remember that…why are people ignoring it today?
At any rate, I felt better coming home from church—more hope, less fear. No, I don’t want to put my head in the sand (OK, really I do), but I can only do what I can do. I’m not sure how much I can do—I won’t know until the end. I just know that I feel compelled to prep enough to make it for a few years--enough to make it until my garden is producing well--enough to get through whatever Obama plans to throw our way. Will I fight to protect my right to bear arms? I don’t know. Will I do what I can to help as many people as I can? Yes, I’m sure—after all, that is my habit.
We are living in exciting times—whether we die in the next few years or live to be “caught up” in the air to meet Christ at His return, we may well be the generation that sees the coming of the Lord.
I invite comments...support and encouragement are always appreciated--and we never know when our words will positively impact someone who really needed the support.
Living in the End Times—and What That Means to Christians Today
My background is Fundamentalist Christian. For all my life, I have believed we should live as the Bible instructs—both Old Testament and New—as much as we are able. I gave thanks that I lived in the United States; I believed that we were blessed by God because we were part of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. (Don’t believe in the British Israelism stuff, do your own research on the migration of people.) I have prayed for our rulers, been proud of our freedoms, and often said that we had the best form of government on the planet—and that it would remain the best government until Christ returned and set up his Kingdom on Earth.
Well, flip me over and call me a pancake, because times have changed! Prophecy does not mention a “King of the West.” This omission in the Bible has led people to believe that the United States (west of Israel) will not be a power when End Time events unfold. Guess what…by the time this current administration finishes its first term, we will not be a power. Should we feel hatred toward this administration? No, they are merely fulfilling prophecy—prophecy for which most Christians pray often. How many times have you heard the words, “Thy Kingdom come”? How many times have you said them yourself?
When I think about the rights we Americans have come to take for granted, I mourn at their passing. It can color my world—and it’s not a pretty color! The only thing that can bring me back to the center is the realization that this world is not the Kingdom of God, and the best reminder of that sentiment is attending church. The messages of the last two weekends were pretty timely: 1) The Five Temples of God, 2) Focus on the Kingdom, 3) What is Your Deepest Fear?, and 4) Drifting Toward Carnality.
Let me share just a little. The Five Temples of God were/are:
1. Solomon’s Temple, 960 BC
2. Zerubabel’s Temple, 535 BC
3. The Christian Church
4. Physical Millennial Temple (after Christ returns)
5. New Jerusalem Temple (after the new heaven and the new earth are made)
Why is that important in today’s world? We are smack in the middle (or at the end) of the 3rd temple. This short life we lead is not as important as we think it is…we are but a part of the history of Man.
Focus on the Kingdom asked some questions about going through trials. (How can our current political/economic climate be called anything but a trial?)
1. Looking back, how did seeking the Kingdom of God prepare you for this trial?
2. What are lessons to share with others?
3. How do you share the lessons?
4. When you’re alone with your thoughts, what are the tough questions you ask God?
5. What lessons have you learned that you could not have learned without the trial?
6. How did other people help you?
7. How has the trial affected your relationship with God? With others?
8. How has it affected your joy?
Can we answer those questions with today’s climate in mind? Yes, we can—and, we should.
What is Your Deepest Fear? The man who gave this sermon read a quote from Marianne Williamson: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves: Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
He went on to say that we have the power to:
• NOT be a victim. Take a proactive stance in your life.
• Resolve our conflicts with each other.
• Change the lives of others (through our example).
• Have a positive outlook in our lives.
Drifting Toward Carnality dealt with our attitude about today’s world. (Yes, I know that it is where we live right now, but it should not be our complete focus.) The man who gave this sermon, about 70 yrs old, was very passionate about what he was saying. He began by explaining that, as a youth, he’d been taught to love his country—but that the country he loved no longer existed. There were tears in his eyes as he shouted, “This is NOT my country!” I think there were tears in mine, too. This is NOT the country we were taught to love. It has changed, and moved away from God—it has embraced the evil of Satan. Justice stands afar off (Isaiah 59:2), and equity cannot enter.
The United States, a Christian nation?
• 9% of self-proclaimed Christians in the U.S. say they have a Biblical view.
• 3% of Christian parents think it’s critical for their children to be saved.
• 45% of Christian parents teach their children that there are no moral absolutes.
It doesn't sound very Christian, does it? We are at war with Satan, the Prince of the Power of the Air, the King of this world. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. (II Cor. 10:3) The weapon we are to use is PRAYER. We need to not get swept along with the crowd—this is NOT the Kingdom of God! We must escape this world—not lose our Salvation. (Heb. 2:1)
Five Signs That We Are Drifting Toward Carnality
1. Neglect of spiritual things—there is only one path to Salvation, and neglect is passive disobedience. Do you take your Salvation for granted?
2. Increase in spiritual insensitivity. (Heb. 3:12-13) Do not grow hard-hearted. Have you been duped by sin? The light of Christ should shine through your life and illuminate all the impurities—you can’t change what you can’t see.
3. A willful refusal to grow. (Heb. 5:11) Are we dull of hearing? We should be teachers by now—not students! We must choose to move toward spiritual maturity.
4. Withdrawing from the fellowship of other believers—we need each other. God wants us to gather together—to both give AND receive. (At times like these, encouragement and support are paramount.)
5. We reject the truth…the final step in drifting back into carnality. (Heb. 10:26) There remains no more sacrifice for sin…if we insist on drifting back to into carnality, we will be throwing away our salvation. Don’t get sucked into this world—it’s a trap! Don’t leave your values at home, behavior matters more than intentions.
Funnily enough, much of the conversation after church today was on preparing for the upcoming economic upheaval—getting any medical procedures taken care of before the change to Socialized medicine, putting in gardens, stocking up on underwear (and toilet paper), for how many years would we need to prepare…I know that this is common conversation among some groups, but not necessarily ours. One of the women brought up the fact that one of our previous leaders had encouraged us to prepare for famine. I remember that…why are people ignoring it today?
At any rate, I felt better coming home from church—more hope, less fear. No, I don’t want to put my head in the sand (OK, really I do), but I can only do what I can do. I’m not sure how much I can do—I won’t know until the end. I just know that I feel compelled to prep enough to make it for a few years--enough to make it until my garden is producing well--enough to get through whatever Obama plans to throw our way. Will I fight to protect my right to bear arms? I don’t know. Will I do what I can to help as many people as I can? Yes, I’m sure—after all, that is my habit.
We are living in exciting times—whether we die in the next few years or live to be “caught up” in the air to meet Christ at His return, we may well be the generation that sees the coming of the Lord.
I invite comments...support and encouragement are always appreciated--and we never know when our words will positively impact someone who really needed the support.
